Works Cited

Cook, Bernie. Thelma and Louise Live! Austin, TX: University of Texas P, 2007.

Fournier, Gina. Thelma and Louise and Women in Hollywood. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc.,, 2007.

Sturken, Marita. Thelma and Louise. London: British Film Institute, 2000.

The first book I picked out is called Thelma and Louise Live! This book is a compilation of various article written about and in response to the film. The section that I would most use is Appendix I, which features three articles regarding feminism within the film: "Toxic Feminism on the Big Screen," "Gender Bender," and "Is This What Feminism is about?" Unlike the previous articles I've found which defend feminism, these three criticize the impractical use of feminism within the film and how it hinders rather than helps the movie.

The second book I got from the library is (shiny) called "Thelma and Louise and Women in Hollywood." This book focuses on the broader implications of the film with respect to the influences it has had on following films and how the feminist themes within it were derived from older films. It examines the reception of the film in culture and also has case studies regarding how the film's impact differed across the United States. I would most like use the chapter entitled "The Thelma and Louise-ing of American Culture," which directly references the cultural implications of the film.

The final book I got is also shiny and has pictures, and is titled "Thelma and Louise." This book focuses on both feminism and other political implications brought about by the film. It examines the film from the prospective of how it reworked political conflicts of the time, with regard to feminism and relationships, etc. Specifically it focuses on how the film reworked the outlaw drama, and gains insight from Director Ridley Scott.

Sources

Works Cited
Boozer, Jack. "Seduction and Betrayal in the Heartland: Thelma and Louise." Literature Film Quarterly 23 (1995): 188-177. EBSCO Host. 26 Mar. 2008.
Man, Glenn. "Gender, Genre, and Myth in Thelma and Louise." Film Criticism 18 (1993): 36-53. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. 28 Mar. 2008.




The first article describes the impact of the film Thelma and Louise on other films of the same genre. It discusses how the feminist themes within the film relate to the journey the women take, specifically with respect to the "promise of the West" and the "problems of Western migration." The article describes the relation between Western expansion themes and ideas and how this relates to the feminist themes in the film.

The second article, titled "Gender, Genre, and Myth in Thelma and Louise," discusses how the cinematic aspects of the film relate to the theme of feminism. It discusses other people's arguments regarding the film and both criticizes and establishes his own argument as to how the cinematic aspects and the physical journey the women take establish the feminist themes within the film.

Handout for Five Minutes of Fame

Sorry, I accidently posted this to Telesis earlier...

Its in the comments...for some reason I couldn't copy and paste into the original post.

...okay, I finally got this to work.

Main Point: Thelma and Louise is simultaneously an engaging, cat and mouse hunt between two females outlaws and the police and a larger reflection on male-dominated culture and how this world shapes these two characters. The film emphasizes this larger cultural message through the symbolic use of trucks. As Thelma and Louise dominate the trucks, they empowering women and defeating male dominated society. The physical relationship between the women’s car and different trucks mimics Thelma and Louise’s dismissal of the male dominated cultureIn the first segment, immediately following the two women shooting the man at the bar, the trucks keep passing them on the highway. They pull over to the side, as cars constantly pass and they are in extreme distress. In the second segment, they released themselves from the grasp of males. In demonstrating this position, they begin to physically pass the trucks on the highway and force the truck to pull over.The truck driver is representative of men and the male dominated culture. In the second scene, they actively threaten and essentially control this man. By physically shooting the truck and blowing it up, they embracing their independence and free from the control of the men around them. There are many trucks around in all the journey scenes. This is another physical representation of the male versus female society. The women drive a small car, while large trucks pass them. Like the male society, the trucks dominate the road. At the beginning, they honk loudly, muting the cries of the women, as men “mute” the cries of women in society.

Rhetorical Analysis Presentation

The subject of my rhetorical analysis presentation is probably going to be the use of camera angle and music in two scenes in the film Thelma and Louise. The camera angle looks into the car that Thelma and Louise drive during their adventure.  This helps to emphasize the openness they experience from this journey and emphasizes their interaction as a couple.  Much of the importance of the film comes from their interactions and friendship and the camera angle emphasizes this.  Similarly, the musical tones throughout the pieces further showcase the openness with guitar rifts that could potentially go on forever.

I could not find movie clips from my examples, but I'm attempting to embed stills from the film to showcase these points.